What Matters to You Today?

Jill Matthes Baxter, DNP, RN, CHSE, Associate Professor of Nursing
December 22, 2025 • 2 min. read

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When Jill Matthes Baxter enters a patient’s room, she starts with a simple question, “What matters to you today?” Then, she does something just as important. She gets quiet. For Jill, person-centered care begins not with a checklist or a plan, but with listening. Asking the question matters, but so does allowing space for the answer. Patients need time to express themselves, to share what is bothering them, what they are worried about and what feels most important at that moment. Active listening is not rushed. It is attentive, respectful and intentional.

That respect extends beyond the conversation itself. Jill emphasizes the importance of honoring a patient’s background and culture and of sharing information in a way that makes sense to them. Not everyone wants information delivered the same way. Part of good care is learning how a person prefers to receive it and meeting them there.

Person-centered care also means recognizing that patients are rarely alone in what they are experiencing. When caring for children, Jill points out that the family is often in crisis too. Parents and caregivers matter. They need to be involved, informed and supported. Care works best when the people who matter most to the patient are part of the conversation.

Collaboration is key. Plans of care should not be handed down, but built together. If patients and families are not part of shaping the plan, they are far less likely to follow it. When people help develop ideas that fit their lives, values and circumstances, those plans feel possible and sustainable.

Information sharing, collaboration and listening all come back to one core idea. Respecting individuality. In nursing, judgment has no place. Care is given without regard to gender, race or creed. What matters is understanding what the patient needs, what they are carrying and what will actually support their well-being. By listening carefully and centering care around the individual, nurses can move beyond tasks and protocols and create plans that reflect real lives, real families and real needs.

Jill Matthes Baxter is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Ashland University and Director of the Doctor of Nursing Program Health Systems Leadership Track. She joined the Ashland University faculty in 2016 and teaches courses in Pediatrics, Genetics and Nursing Concepts. Dr. Matthes Baxter’s areas of focus include health promotion, patient safety and the use of mindfulness as a teaching strategy, and she serves in multiple leadership and assessment roles within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

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